Statesman News Service
DARJEELING, July 4: The All India Gorkha League president Mr Madan Tamang today accused the GJMM of maintaining “double-standard” on the civil disobedience issue towards the West Bengal government by implementing Gorkhaland number plates from 7 July.
“If they do not accept the West Bengal government’s authority then they should boycott everything from the Bengal Municipal Act, DGHC Act to the Gram Panchayat Act. Why are they selective in their approach?” Mr Tamang demanded.
Amidst call for “introspection” the leader also suggested that all Hill parties sit together to devise a foolproof strategy to lead the movement forward. “It is time we get serious and weigh the pros and cons of such an act. We should look back and learn from the mistakes of the 80’s. If this time the movement fails it will be impossible to regenerate such tremendous support for Gorkhaland again,” Mr Tamang stated.
The AIGL leader cautioned that the recent municipality elections held in three wards of Darjeeling was just to “test” the tenacity of the GJMM towards the Gorkhaland movement. “By conducting by-elections the Bengal government is trying to observe where we stand. The non-cooperation should be implemented in all areas from tea plantations to the municipality in order to pressurise the government,” he said.
The “lack of transparency” and “undemocratic nature” of the GJMM also came in for some heavy criticism. “They called an all party meeting but left for New Delhi and Kolkata on their own. At least they should have briefed the Hill parties on the agenda and outcome of the meetings,” Mr Tamang stated.
“There is no writ of the administration in the Hills. Imposition and undemocratic acts have prevailed since the time of Mr Subash Ghisingh.
The GJMM is following in the same lines by preventing us to hold public meetings in the hills,” he alleged.